Methods and Compositions for Correlating Genetic Markers with Cardiovascular Disease

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides methods of identifying a subject having an increased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, comprising: a) correlating the presence of one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31 with an increased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease; and b) detecting the one or more genetic markers of step (a) in the subject, thereby identifying the subject as having an increased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Also provided are methods of identifying subjects with cardiovascular disease as having a good or poor prognosis, as well as methods of identifying effective treatment regimens for cardiovascular disease, based on correlation with genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of, and claims priorityto, U.S. application Ser. No. 12/888,937, filed Sep. 23, 2010 and issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 8,097,415 of Jan. 17, 2012, which is a continuationapplication of, and claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No.11/260,842, filed Oct. 27, 2005 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,807,465 onOct. 5, 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 60/622,447, filed Oct. 27, 2004, the contents of each of whichare herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

The present invention was made, in part, with the support of grantnumbers HL073389 and HL073042 from the National Institutes ofHealth/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The United StatesGovernment has certain rights to this invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides methods and compositions directed toidentification of genetic markers in chromosome 3 and their correlationwith cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is estimated that more than 13 million Americans are afflicted withclinically significant coronary artery disease (CAD) (American HeartAssociation 2004) and the care of these patients costs greater than $133billion annually. Of those afflicted, 10% are less than 54 years old.Although a minority of the patient base, this group provides a valuablesource for the investigation of the genetics underlying cardiac diseaserisk, because family history is known to be a robust predictor ofcardiovascular disease, even after adjustment for known risk factors,which may be shared within families (Shea et al. 1984). Furthermore,these diseases inflict a high economic impact on this group of patientswith early onset CAD. The identification of novel markers correlatedwith CAD is important in order to understand the pathophysiologicalmechanisms of this disease state and develop effective prevention andtreatment regimens.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer in America today. Over 50million Americans have heart and cardiovascular related problems. By thetime that cardiovascular heart problems are usually detected, thedisease is usually quite advanced, having progressed for decades, andoften too advanced to allow successful prevention of major permanentdisability.

Circulatory disease is caused by the normal flow of blood through thebody being restricted or blocked as a result of arterial plaque. Thismay cause damage to the heart, brain, kidneys or other organs andtissues. Plaque build-up is a slow and progressive progress that isdependent on our environmental and genetic environment.

Cardiovascular disease refers to all disease, which involves the heartand/or blood vessels, arteries, and occasionally veins. These problemsare most commonly due to consequences of arterial disease,atherosclerosis, atheroma, but also can be related to infection,valvular and clotting problems.

In humans, β₁-adrenergic receptors (β₁-ARs) are polymorphic at aminoacid residue 389 (Arg/Gly). Mialet-Perez et al. (2003) Nat. Med.9:1260-1262, catecholamines stimulate cardiac contractility throughreported that the human Arg389 variant predisposes to heart failure byinstigating hyperactive signaling programs leading to depressed receptorcoupling and ventricular dysfunction, and influences the therapeuticresponse to n-receptor blockade.

The present invention overcomes previous shortcomings in the art byproviding methods and compositions for correlating genetic markers in asubject with various aspects of cardiovascular disease and itstreatment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventors have carried out a genome wide screening in 420 familieswith early-onset CAD disease (GENECARD study) and found significantlinkage evidence (multipoint lod score=3.5) in chromosome 3q13 spanningover 60 mega bases. Systematic association analysis using singlenucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was performed in case-control sets fromthe CATHGEN study. Subjects were selected based on their CAD index(CAD_(i)), a validated angiographical measure of the extent of CAD.CATHGEN included 301 young affected (YA: age ≦55, CAD_(i)>32), 168 olderaffected (OA: age>55, CAD_(i)>74), and 204 controls (ON: age >60,CAD_(i)<23). A two-stage approach was taken: a preliminary screening inpooled DNA followed by individual genotyping around significant markersat higher density to define the boundaries of the linkage disequilibrium(LD) block. Initial screening of 16 SNPs by DNA pooling revealed thatthe frequency of the G allele of rs1875518 is significantly higher in OAthan ON (OA−ON=12.2%, p=0.001), which is confirmed by individualgenotyping (OA=57.2°)%; ON=45.5%). Additional genotyping aroundrs1875518 defined an LD block extending ˜100 kb that is highlyassociated with OA in Caucasians. Moreover, preliminary evidencesupports the association of this block in the GENECARD probands versusCathgen ON. Finally, a novel microsatellite marker (3M0238) within theblock was identified, which breaks the LD and formed a significant riskhaplotype (P<0.005) with rs1875518: rs1875518_G-3M0238_(—)253 is twiceas prevalent in OA (21.39%) as in ON (11.39%). In sum, the inventorshave identified a 100 kb region in 3q13.31 containing geneticsusceptibility for CAD. In particular, these data indicate that carriersof rs1875518_G-3M0238_(—)253 are at higher risk of developing CAD.

The present invention provides a method of identifying a subject havingan increased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease,comprising detecting in the subject one or more genetic markers inchromosome 3q13.31 correlated with an increased or decreased risk ofdeveloping cardiovascular disease.

Further provided is a method of identifying a subject having anincreased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease,comprising: a) correlating the presence of one or more genetic markersin chromosome 3q13.31 with an increased or decreased risk of developingcardiovascular disease; and b) detecting the one or more genetic markersof step (a) in the subject, thereby identifying the subject as having anincreased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

In further embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofcorrelating a genetic marker in chromosome 3q13.31 with an increasedrisk of developing cardiovascular disease, comprising: a) detecting in asubject with cardiovascular disease the presence of one or more geneticmarkers in chromosome 3q13.31; and b) correlating the presence of theone or more genetic markers of step (a) with cardiovascular disease inthe subject.

Also provided is a method of correlating a genetic marker in chromosome3q13.31 with a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease,comprising: a) detecting in a subject without cardiovascular disease thepresence of one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31; and b)correlating the presence of the one or more genetic markers of step (a)with the absence of cardiovascular disease in the subject.

Additionally provided herein is a method of diagnosing cardiovasculardisease in a subject, comprising detecting in the subject one or moregenetic markers correlated with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease,as well as a method of diagnosing cardiovascular disease in a subject,comprising: a) correlating the presence of one or more genetic markersin chromosome 3q13.31 with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease; and b)detecting the one or more genetic markers of step (a) in the subject,thereby diagnosing cardiovascular disease in the subject.

A method is also provided of correlating a genetic marker in chromosome3q13.31 with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, comprising: a)detecting in a subject diagnosed with cardiovascular disease thepresence of one or genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31; and b)correlating the presence of the one or more genetic markers of step (a)with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in a subject.

In yet further embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofidentifying a subject with cardiovascular disease as having a good or apoor prognosis, comprising detecting in the subject one or more markersgenetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31 correlated with a good or a poorprognosis for cardiovascular disease.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of identifying asubject with cardiovascular disease as having a good or a poorprognosis, comprising: a) correlating the presence of one or moregenetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31 with a good or a poor prognosisfor cardiovascular disease; and b) detecting the one or more markers ofstep (a) in the subject, thereby identifying the subject as having agood or a poor prognosis.

In addition, the present invention provides a method of correlating agenetic marker in chromosome 3q13.31 with a good or a poor prognosis forcardiovascular disease, comprising: a) detecting in a subject withcardiovascular disease and having a good or a poor prognosis, thepresence of one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31; and b)correlating the presence of the one or more genetic markers of step (a)with a good or a poor prognosis for cardiovascular disease.

Additionally provided herein is a method of identifying an effectivetreatment regimen for a subject with cardiovascular disease, comprisingdetecting one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31 in thesubject correlated with an effective treatment regimen forcardiovascular disease.

Also provided is a method of identifying an effective treatment regimenfor a subject with cardiovascular disease, comprising: a) correlatingthe presence of one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31 in atest subject with cardiovascular disease for whom an effective treatmentregimen has been identified; and b) detecting the one or more markers ofstep (a) in the subject, thereby identifying an effective treatmentregimen for the subject.

Further provided is a method of correlating a genetic marker ofchromosome 3q13.31 with an effective treatment regimen forcardiovascular disease, comprising: a) detecting in a subject withcardiovascular disease and for whom an effective treatment regimen hasbeen identified, the presence of one or more genetic markers inchromosome 3q13.31; and b) correlating the presence of the one or moregenetic markers of step (a) with a an effective treatment regimen forcardiovascular disease.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts linkage evidence of the susceptibility for CAD(multipoint lod score=3.5) in chromosome 3q13 spanning over 120megabases (Mb).

FIG. 2 depicts the screening of 16 SNPs for linkage to thesusceptibility for CAD.

FIG. 3 depicts association analysis of SNPs around rs1875518 with riskfor CAD.

FIG. 4 depicts the quantitative trait loci (QTL) map for HDL cholesterolon chromosome 3.

FIG. 5 depicts chromosome 3 lod score curves using OSA that corroborate,strengthen and narrow the linkage peaks previously observed onchromosome 3q.

FIG. 6 depicts the genotypes of normal versus affected individuals withrespect to three polymorphisms.

FIG. 7 depicts differences in allele frequency between affected versuscontrol (normal) cases with exemplary SNPs within the region of humanchromosome 3q13.31.

FIG. 8 depicts the frequency of genetic markers within the region ofhuman chromosome 3q13.31 correlated with affected and control (normalcases) and the significance of the correlation of the G allele ofrs1875518 and the 253 allele of 3M0238 with CAD.

FIG. 9 depicts additional SNPs associated with the risk for CAD onchromosome 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used herein, “a,” “an” or “the” can mean one or more than one. Forexample, “a” cell can mean a single cell or a multiplicity of cells.

The present invention is explained in greater detail below. Thisdescription is not intended to be a detailed catalog of all thedifferent ways in which the invention may be implemented, or all thefeatures that may be added to the instant invention. For example,features illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be incorporatedinto other embodiments, and features illustrated with respect to aparticular embodiment may be deleted from that embodiment. In addition,numerous variations and additions to the various embodiments suggestedherein will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of theinstant disclosure, which do not depart from the instant invention.Hence, the following specification is intended to illustrate someparticular embodiments of the invention, and not to exhaustively specifyall permutations, combinations and variations thereof.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, the term “cardiovascular disease” includes any disease,disorder or pathological state or condition that involves the heartand/or blood vessels, arteries and veins. Examples of such diseases anddisorders include, but are not limited to, arterial disease, atheroma,atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, coronary artery disease, arrhythmia,angina pectoris, congestive heart disease, myocardial infarction,stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), aortic aneurysm,cardiopericarditis, infection and/or inflammation of these tissuesand/or organs, as well as valvular, vascular and clotting problems,insufficiencies and/or disorders, etc.

Also as used herein, “linked” describes a region of a chromosome that isshared more frequently in family members affected by a particulardisease or disorder, than would be expected or observed by chance,thereby indicating that the gene or genes or other identified marker(s)within the linked chromosome region contain or are associated with anallele that is correlated with the presence of, or increased ordecreased risk of the disease or disorder. Once linkage is established,association studies (linkage disequilibrium) can be used to narrow theregion of interest or to identify the marker correlated with the diseaseor disorder.

The term “genetic marker” as used herein refers to a region of anucleotide sequence (e.g., in a chromosome) that is subject tovariability (i.e., the region can be polymorphic for a variety ofalleles). For example, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in anucleotide sequence is a genetic marker that is polymorphic for twoalleles. Other examples of genetic markers of this invention can includebut are not limited to microsatellites, restriction fragment lengthpolymorphisms (RFLPs), repeats (i.e., duplications), insertions,deletions, etc.

A subject of this invention is any animal that is susceptible tocardiovascular disease as defined herein and can include mammals, birdsand reptiles. Examples of subjects of this invention can include, butare not limited to, humans, non-human primates, dogs, cats, horses,cows, goats, guinea pigs, mice, rats and rabbits, as well as any otherdomestic or commercially valuable animal including animal models ofcardiovascular disease.

As used herein, “nucleic acids” encompass both RNA and DNA, includingcDNA, genomic DNA, mRNA, synthetic (e.g., chemically synthesized) DNAand chimeras of RNA and DNA. The nucleic acid can be double-stranded orsingle-stranded. Where single-stranded, the nucleic acid can be a sensestrand or an antisense strand. The nucleic acid can be synthesized usingoligonucleotide analogs or derivatives (e.g., inosine orphosphorothioate nucleotides). Such oligonucleotides can be used, forexample, to prepare nucleic acids that have altered base-pairingabilities or increased resistance to nucleases.

An “isolated nucleic acid” is a DNA or RNA that is not immediatelycontiguous with nucleotide sequences with which it is immediatelycontiguous (one on the 5′ end and one on the 3′ end) in the naturallyoccurring genome of the organism from which it is derived. Thus, in oneembodiment, an isolated nucleic acid includes some or all of the 5′non-coding (e.g., promoter) sequences that are immediately contiguous toa coding sequence. The term therefore includes, for example, arecombinant DNA that is incorporated into a vector, into an autonomouslyreplicating plasmid or virus, or into the genomic DNA of a prokaryote oreukaryote, or which exists as a separate molecule (e.g., a cDNA or agenomic DNA fragment produced by PCR or restriction endonucleasetreatment), independent of other sequences. It also includes arecombinant DNA that is part of a hybrid nucleic acid encoding anadditional polypeptide or peptide sequence.

The term “isolated” can refer to a nucleic acid or polypeptide that issubstantially free of cellular material, viral material, or culturemedium (when produced by recombinant DNA techniques), or chemicalprecursors or other chemicals (when chemically synthesized). Moreover,an “isolated fragment” is a fragment of a nucleic acid or polypeptidethat is not naturally occurring as a fragment and would not be found inthe natural state.

The term “oligonucleotide” refers to a nucleic acid sequence of at leastabout six nucleotides to about 100 nucleotides, for example, about 15 to30 nucleotides, or about 20 to 25 nucleotides, which can be used, forexample, as a primer in a PCR amplification or as a probe in ahybridization assay or in a microarray. Oligonucleotides can be naturalor synthetic, e.g., DNA, RNA, modified backbones, etc.

The present invention further provides fragments or oligonucleotides ofthe nucleic acids of this invention, which can be used as primers orprobes. Thus, in some embodiments, a fragment or oligonucleotide of thisinvention is a nucleotide sequence that is at least 10, 15, 20, 25, 30,35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200,250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900,1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 or 3000 contiguous nucleotides of the nucleotidesequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, or the nucleotide sequence set forthfrom nucleotides 118500001 to 118761789 of the NCBI Build 35 sequence ofhuman chromosome 3 (SEQ ID NO:1). Such fragments or oligonucleotides canbe detectably labeled or modified, for example, to include and/orincorporate a restriction enzyme cleavage site when employed as a primerin an amplification (e.g., PCR) assay.

The present invention is based on the inventors' discovery of acorrelation between genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31 and variousaspects of cardiovascular disease. Thus, in one aspect, the presentinvention provides a method of identifying a subject having either anincreased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease,comprising detecting in the subject one or more genetic markers inchromosome 3q13.31 correlated with an increased or decreased risk ofdeveloping cardiovascular disease.

Further provided is a method of identifying a subject having either anincreased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease,comprising: a) correlating the presence of one or more genetic markersin chromosome 3q13.31 with an increased or decreased risk of developingcardiovascular disease; and b) detecting the one or more genetic markersof step (a) in the subject, thereby identifying the subject as having anincreased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

In further embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofcorrelating a genetic marker in chromosome 3q13.31 with an increasedrisk of developing cardiovascular disease, comprising: a) detecting in asubject with cardiovascular disease the presence of one or more geneticmarkers in chromosome 3q13.31; and b) correlating the presence of theone or more genetic markers of step (a) with cardiovascular disease inthe subject.

Also provided is a method of correlating a genetic marker in chromosome3q13.31 with a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease,comprising: a) detecting in a subject without cardiovascular disease thepresence of one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31; and b)correlating the presence of the one or more genetic markers of step (a)with the absence of cardiovascular disease in the subject.

Additionally provided herein is a method of diagnosing cardiovasculardisease in a subject, comprising detecting in the subject one or moregenetic markers correlated with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease,as well as a method of diagnosing cardiovascular disease in a subject,comprising: a) correlating the presence of one or more genetic markersin chromosome 3q13.31 with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease; and b)detecting the one or more genetic markers of step (a) in the subject,thereby diagnosing cardiovascular disease in the subject.

A method is also provided of correlating a genetic marker in chromosome3q13.31 with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, comprising: a)detecting in a subject diagnosed with cardiovascular disease thepresence of one or genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31; and b)correlating the presence of the one or more genetic markers of step (a)with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in a subject.

In the methods described herein, the detection of a genetic marker in asubject can be carried out according to methods well known in the art.For example DNA is obtained from any suitable sample from the subjectthat will contain DNA and the DNA is then prepared and analyzedaccording to well-established protocols for the presence of geneticmarkers according to the methods of this invention. In some embodiments,analysis of the DNA can be carried by amplification of the region ofinterest according to amplification protocols well known in the art(e.g., polymerase chain reaction, ligase chain reaction, stranddisplacement amplification, transcription-based amplification,self-sustained sequence replication (3SR), Q13 replicase protocols,nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), repair chain reaction(RCR) and boomerang DNA amplification (BDA)). The amplification productcan then be visualized directly in a gel by staining or the product canbe detected by hybridization with a detectable probe. When amplificationconditions allow for amplification of all allelic types of a geneticmarker, the types can be distinguished by a variety of well-knownmethods, such as hybridization with an allele-specific probe, secondaryamplification with allele-specific primers, by restriction endonucleasedigestion, or by electrophoresis. Thus, the present invention furtherprovides oligonucleotides for use as primers and/or probes for detectingand/or identifying genetic markers according to the methods of thisinvention.

The genetic markers of this invention are correlated with variousaspects of cardiovascular disease as described herein according tomethods well known in the art and as disclosed in the Examples providedherein for correlating genetic markers with various phenotypic traits,including disease states and pathological conditions and levels of riskassociated with developing a disease or pathological condition. Ingeneral, identifying such correlation involves conducting analyses thatestablish a statistically significant association and/or a statisticallysignificant correlation between the presence of a genetic marker or acombination of markers and the phenotypic trait in the subject. Ananalysis that identifies a statistical association (e.g., a significantassociation) between the marker or combination of markers and thephenotype establishes a correlation between the presence of the markeror combination of markers in a subject and the particular phenotypebeing analyzed.

The correlation can involve one or more than one genetic marker of thisinvention (e.g., two, three, four, five, or more) in any combination. Insome embodiments of this invention, the genetic markers are located onchromosome 3 and can be localized to the region 3q13.31. However, inother embodiments, the methods of this invention can includecorrelations between genetic markers on chromosome 3 (e.g., at 3q13.31)in combination with genetic markers on other chromosomes (e.g.,chromosome 1) and various aspects of cardiovascular disease as describedherein. For example, the genetic markers of this invention can becombined with genetic markers in the ApoE gene on chromosome 19, geneticmarkers in the MEF21 gene on chromosome 15, genetic markers in thematrix metalloproteinase 3 gene on chromosome 11 and/or genetic markersin the β₁-adrenergic receptor gene in chromosome 10 (e.g., the alleleproducing the Arg389 variant Perez et al., Nature Medicine 9:1300-1305(2003); Bengtsson et al. Circulation 104:187-190 (2001)) in the methodsof this invention and in establishing correlations between geneticmarkers and various aspects of cardiovascular disease as describedherein.

Non-limiting examples of genetic markers of this invention are set forthin Tables 9, 10 and 11, which are located in the region from nucleotides118500001 to 118761789 of human chromosome 3, NCBI Build 35 (SEQ IDNO:1).

In some embodiments, the genetic marker is a single nucleotidepolymorphism (SNP). Exemplary single nucleotide polymorphisms includebut are not limited to T for G, T for A, C for A, C for T, A for G, Afor C, A for T, G for A and G for T substitutions. Other examples ofgenetic markers include insertions, deletions and duplications,including but not limited to an adenine deletion, a CAA insertion, and a27-base pair duplication on human chromosome 3. Further examples ofgenetic markers of this invention include but are not limited tomicrosatellite markers such as 3M0238, which has a variety of alleles,such as alleles 245, 249, 250, 253 and 256, wherein each allele isdefined by the length of the PCR product (245, 249, 250, 253 basepairs,etc.) produced using the 3M0238 primers (SEQ ID NOS:34 and 35) shown inTable 4. In a representative embodiment of the invention, themicrosatellite marker is a tetranucleotide repeat, optionally, thetetranucleotide repeat sequence is GATA.

In the methods of this invention, particular alleles of the geneticmarkers are identified as being correlated with various aspects ofcardiovascular disease. Thus, for example, an allele correlated with anincreased risk of cardiovascular disease in a subject or with adiagnosis of cardiovascular disease in a subject can be a G allele atsingle nucleotide polymorphism rs1875518 (rs1875518_G), a T allele atsingle nucleotide polymorphism rs2937666 (rs2937666_T), a 253 allele atmicrosatellite marker 3M0238 (tetranucleotide GATA repeat, 253 basepairPCR product, 3M0238_(—)253), a C allele at single nucleotidepolymorphism hcv1602689 (hcv1602689_C), an A allele at single nucleotidepolymorphism rs2272486 (rs2272486_A), an A allele at single nucleotidepolymorphism rs1676232 (rs1676232_A), or an A allele at singlenucleotide polymorphism rs4404477 (rs4404477_A), as well as anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, a combination of geneticmarkers is provided that defines a haplotype that is correlated with anaspect of cardiovascular disease as described herein. Thus, for example,haplotypes correlated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease orwith a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease include: rs1875518_G andG3M0238_(—)253; rs1875518_G with G3M0238_(—)253 and the A allele forrs2937666 (rs2937666_A); and/or the A allele for rs1875518 (rs1875518_A)with a non 253 allele of 3M0238 (3M0238_non253) and rs2937666_T. Otherexamples of haplotypes correlated with cardiovascular disease are: theadenine deletion allele of the single nucleotide polymorphism of SEQ IDNO:15; the 27 basepair duplication allele of the polymorphism of SEQ IDNO:28; the CAA insertion allele of the polymorphism of SEQ ID NO:29, andany combination thereof (Table 10). Still further examples of haplotypescorrelated with cardiovascular disease are the A alleles for singlenucleotide polymorphism rs1676232 or rs4404477 (rs1676232_A,rs4404477_A), or a combination thereof. Furthermore, rs4404477 appearsto have an interaction with rs1676232 such that when both SNPs arehomozygous for the A allele, the risk for CAD is significantly increasedover that which is observed for a single SNP that is homozygous for theA allele, each of which is also associated with enhanced risk for CAD.

An example of a haplotype correlated with decreased risk ofcardiovascular disease is rs1875518_A with G3M0238_non253 andrs2937666_A.

Other genetic markers associated with cardiovascular disease are setforth in Tables 9, 10 and 11 and the Examples. The genetic markers ofthe invention can be used individually or in any combination.

In yet further embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofidentifying a subject with cardiovascular disease as having a good or apoor prognosis, comprising detecting in the subject one or more geneticmarkers in chromosome 3q13.31 correlated with a good or a poor prognosisfor cardiovascular disease.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of identifying asubject with cardiovascular disease as having a good or a poorprognosis, comprising: a) correlating the presence of one or moregenetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31 with a good or a poor prognosisfor cardiovascular disease; and b) detecting the one or more markers ofstep (a) in the subject, thereby identifying the subject as having agood or a poor prognosis.

In addition, the present invention provides a method of correlating agenetic marker in chromosome 3q13.31 with a good or a poor prognosis forcardiovascular disease, comprising: a) detecting in a subject withcardiovascular disease and having a good or a poor prognosis, thepresence of one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31; and b)correlating the present of the one or more genetic markers of step (a)with a good or a poor prognosis for cardiovascular disease.

A subject is identified as having cardiovascular disease according todiagnostic parameters well known in the art and can have a good or poorprognosis according to diagnostic and/or clinical parameters that arealso known in the art. A correlation can be made between good and poorprognosis and a subject's genetic markers according to the methods ofthis invention, which can allow a clinician to determine the mosteffective treatment regimen for the subject.

The present invention further provides a method of identifying aneffective treatment regimen for a subject with cardiovascular disease,comprising detecting one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31in the subject correlated with an effective treatment regimen forcardiovascular disease.

Also provided is a method of identifying an effective treatment regimenfor a subject with cardiovascular disease, comprising: a) correlatingthe presence of one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31 in atest subject with cardiovascular disease for whom an effective treatmentregimen has been identified; and b) detecting the one or more markers ofstep (a) in the subject, thereby identifying an effective treatmentregimen for the subject.

Further provided is a method of correlating a genetic marker ofchromosome 3q13.31 with an effective treatment regimen forcardiovascular disease, comprising: a) detecting in a subject withcardiovascular disease and for whom an effective treatment regimen hasbeen identified, the presence of one or more genetic markers inchromosome 3q13.31; and b) correlating the presence of the one or moregenetic markers of step (a) with an effective treatment regimen forcardiovascular disease. Examples of treatment regimens forcardiovascular disease are well known in the art.

Patients who respond well to particular treatment protocols can beanalyzed for specific genetic markers and a correlation can beestablished according to the methods provided herein. Alternatively,patients who respond poorly to a particular treatment regimen can alsobe analyzed for particular genetic markers correlated with the poorresponse. Then, a subject who is a candidate for treatment forcardiovascular disease can be assessed for the presence of theappropriate genetic markers and the most appropriate treatment regimencan be provided.

In some embodiments, the methods of correlating genetic markers withtreatment regimens can be carried out using a computer database. Thusthe present invention provides a computer-assisted method of identifyinga proposed treatment for cardiovascular disease. The method involves thesteps of (a) storing a database of biological data for a plurality ofpatients, the biological data that is being stored including for each ofsaid plurality of patients (i) a treatment type, (ii) at least onegenetic marker associated with cardiovascular disease and (iii) at leastone disease progression measure for cardiovascular disease from whichtreatment efficacy can be determined; and then (b) querying the databaseto determine the dependence on said genetic marker of the effectivenessof a treatment type in treating cardiovascular disease, to therebyidentify a proposed treatment as an effective treatment for a subjectcarrying a genetic marker correlated with cardiovascular disease.

In one embodiment, treatment information for a patient is entered intothe database (through any suitable means such as a window or textinterface), genetic marker information for that patient is entered intothe database, and disease progression information is entered into thedatabase. These steps are then repeated until the desired number ofpatients has been entered into the database. The database can thenqueried to determine whether a particular treatment is effective forpatients carrying a particular marker, not effective for patientscarrying a particular marker, etc. Such querying can be carried outprospectively or retrospectively on the database by any suitable means,but is generally done by statistical analysis in accordance with knowntechniques, as described herein.

The present invention is more particularly described in the followingexamples that are intended as illustrative only since numerousmodifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilledin the art.

EXAMPLES Example 1

Overall summary: Using linkage analysis and association studies infamilies and isolated patients with cardiovascular disease (CAD), a 400kb region in 3q13.31 was identified, containing a DNA region thataffects susceptibility for CAD. A specific DNA haplotype was identifiedthat is highly associated with CAD (p=0.0001) in Caucasians. Thishaplotype is defined by three markers: the single nucleotidepolymorphism (SNP) marker rs1875518; a previously unidentifiedtetranucleotide GATA repeat, named 3M0238, and a third SNP, rs2937666.The actual alleles that are associated with susceptibility are shown inTables 2 and 3. Both young onset and old onset CAD are affected by thesehaplotypes.

A genome wide screening in 420 families (GENECARD study Table 1) foundthe most significant linkage evidence (multipoint lod score=3.5) inchromosome 3q13 spanning over 120 megabases (Mb). This is shown inFIG. 1. Within this region is a genetic entity that influences thesusceptibility for CAD. The present study was carried out to narrow thecritical region and identify genetic variants conferring susceptibilityto CAD in 3q13.

METHODS: Systematic association analysis using SNPs was performed in the60 mB centered around the peak area of FIG. 1. A modified DNA poolingmethod was used to screen 16 SNPs, 100 kb apart, to look for associationwith CAD.

To do this, another data set was used, different from the GENECARD dataset, the CATHGEN samples, from a study of the Duke CatheterizationLaboratory Database. Subjects were selected according to their CAD index(CAD_(i)), a validated angiographical measure of the extent of CAD.CATHGEN included 301 young affected (YA: age≦55, CAD_(i)>32), 168 olderaffected (OA: age>55, CAD_(i)>74), and 204 controls (ON: age >60,CAD_(i)<23). Association analysis was performed separately by ethnicityand adjusting for gender.

Initial screening of 16 SNPs revealed that the frequency of the G alleleof rs1875518 (NG) is significantly higher in OA than ON (OA−ON=12.2%,p=0.001) in Caucasians (FIG. 2), which is confirmed by individualgenotyping (OA=57.2%; ON=45.5%). Additional genotyping flankingrs1875518 defined a linkage disequilibrium (LD) block extending ˜60 kbthat is highly associated with OA in Caucasians. Moreover, evidencesupports the association of this block in the GENECARD probands versusCathgen ON (FIG. 3). Finally, a novel microsatellite marker (3M0238) wasidentified within the block, which broke the LD and formed a significantrisk haplotype (P<0.005) with rs1875518: rs1875518_G-3M0238_(—)253 istwice as prevalent in OA (21.39%) as in ON (11.39%).

Additional markers surrounding this region were genotyped and a furtherhaplotype was obtained that defines the risks and protection, as seen inTables 2 and 3. Multiple risk haplotypes exist, which could representdifferent alleles of the actual causal change. Primers and probes usedin the analysis are shown in Table 4.

Example 2

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in theUnited States and approximately 8% of CAD occurs in Americans under 50years of age (AHA website). It is well established that CAD and deathfrom CAD have a hereditary component (Marenberg, Zradkovic). The stronggenetic predisposition of CAD may be partially explained by theheritability of disease related intermediate traits such asdyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia is a well-recognized risk factor for CAD, andabnormalities in serum lipids have been shown to have a geneticcomponent (Breslow). Further, there is an increased incidence offamilial lipoprotein abnormalities in family members of patients withpremature CAD (Genest). Twin and adoption studies suggest that at least50% of the observed variation in low-density lipoprotein (LDL)cholesterol is genetically determined (Austin, Rice) and segregationanalysis has shown evidence for a major gene for high-densitylipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (Mahaney 1995). The Family Heart Study hasfound evidence for a common major gene accounting for mild elevations ofLDL cholesterol (Coon, 1999), although the exact gene has yet to beidentified. Familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH) has been mapped tochromosome 1q (Pajukanta Nat Gen 1998), with subsequent identificationof the USF1 gene (Pajukanta 2004). Linkage of HDL cholesterol tochromosomes 5 and 13 has been reported (Peacock 2000), and recently, apooled analysis of patients with FCH has revealed a susceptibility locusfor low HDL on chromosome 16q (Pajukanta 2003).

Many candidate genes have been implicated in the development of coronaryheart disease (CHD) and dyslipidemia, but none have been shown toaccount for even a modest fraction of the burden of CHD in the generalpopulation. One reason is that CHD is likely an oligogenic disease withmultiple genetic loci conferring susceptibility to the disease, with thephenotype determined by complex gene-gene and gene-environmentinteractions. One approach to unraveling these complex relationships isto examine intermediate traits. Methods to map genes for complex traitsthat explicitly take into account the presence of such heterogeneity arelikely to have greater power to identify subtle changes. Two suchmethods for incorporation of covariates into linkage mapping includeexamination of the extremes of the covariate distribution to find genesthat cause gross perturbations (ordered subset analysis (OSA)), orexamination of the entire covariate distribution to find genes for traitvariability (quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis).

The Genetics of Early Onset Cardiovascular Disease (GENECARD) linkagestudy was designed to conduct affected sibling pair (ASP) analysis forthe identification of genes contributing to early onset CAD. Linkagestudies employ an unbiased, genome-wide approach to identify geneticregions shared in excess between affected relative pairs. This strategyfor gene mapping has been widely used and has led to the discovery ofmany disease susceptibility genes. Strong evidence has been provided forlinkage to early onset CAD in GENECARD families to chromosome 3q13 inthe overall population (lod 3.50), and in stratified analyses byfamilies presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS; lod 3.16) andnon-diabetic (NDIA) families (lod 2.42; Hauser 2004). Chromosome 1q25was significant in ACS families (lod 2.17); other regions showingevidence for linkage included 5q13, 7p14 and 19p13. Previous studieshave also implicated regions on chromosome 3q26-27 in CAD (over 60 cMdistal to the peak in the GENECARD analysis) (Francke 2001, Broeckel2002, Harrap 2002), metabolic syndrome (Kissebah 2000), and type IIdiabetes mellitus (DM) (Vionett 2000, Mori 2002). There is also evidenceof QTL for triglyceride-HDL cholesterol ratio (Shearman 2000), HDLcholesterol (Imperatore 2000, Coon 2001) and fractionated low-densitylipoprotein (LDL) particles (Rainwater 1999) in the region of theGENECARD 3q peak. These results suggest potential interactions betweenCAD genes and intermediate lipid traits.

To incorporate disease-related risk factors, lipid phenotypes in theGENECARD study were examined. Incorporation of lipid phenotypesincreases the power to map CAD susceptibility genes; uncovers additionalregions of linkage, narrows linkage peaks, and identifies phenotypicsubsets for further study. Since it is well known that lipid phenotypesthemselves have a high heritability, QTL analysis was performed toidentify chromosomal regions linked to variability in lipid valueswithin high-risk CAD families. OSA was also performed usingsubclassification by lipid phenotypes to reduce etiologic heterogeneity.

Clinical Data Collection.

The GENECARD study enrolled 900 families with early onset CAD to performan ASP genetic linkage study for identification of genetic variants. Thestudy design has been previously reported. Briefly, families with atleast two siblings having early onset CAD were recruited from multiplesites. Individuals were recruited if they met the diagnosis of CAD andif the qualifying event occurred before the age of 51 years for men and56 years for women. For the diagnosis of CAD, a sentinel event ordiagnostic study was required that was verified by primary medicaldocuments. Subjects were required to have myocardial infarction (MI) orunstable angina, significant CAD on coronary angiography, coronaryrevascularization procedure, or a functional test documenting reversibleischemia with imaging. Medical history was confirmed by inspection ofmedical records. A system of periodic review was implemented toestablish quality control and to ensure consistency among all clinicalsites in diagnostic criteria. A genome-wide linkage analysis for earlyonset CAD was undertaken on the first 420 families enrolled in GENECARD,and these families form the basis for the analyses presented in thisstudy

Laboratory Methods.

Blood samples were obtained by study staff primarily at the medicalcenter or clinic, or by field trip to participants' homes. DNA wasextracted using the Puregene system (Gentra Systems, Minneapolis,Minn.). Quality control (QC) samples were incorporated into specifiedslots in the genotyping lists. Laboratory technicians were blinded tothe identity of the QC samples, and to affection status and familycomposition of all samples. Genotyping was performed using the gel-basedFAAST method (Vance and Ben Othmane1998). Quality control checks wereimplemented to maximize data quality during genotyping (Hauser 2004). Atotal of 395 (98.3%) markers out of 402 attempted passed the QC testsand were included in these analyses. The mean genotyping efficiency(proportion of non-zero genotypes) over the 395 markers was 97.6%. Usingdata from several large studies performed in the Duke Center for HumanGenetics, we estimated an error rate in sample processing and allocationin 0.14% and we estimated the genotyping error rate to be approximately0.8%. Given that GENECARD families were collected from six sites in theUS and Europe, it is possible that they represent genetically distinctsubpopulations. To test for population substructure Structure (Pritchard2000) and Arlequin (Arlequin) were employed, using an indicator for eachsite. There was no evidence from either analysis that the sites could bedistinguished on the basis of allele frequencies at the 395 markers inthe genome scan. Based on these results, estirilated allele frequencieswere estimated from the family members in the entire sample (Broman2001).

Serum lipoprotein measurements were done in the fasting state for 229 ofthe 420 families (54.5%) using a centralized core laboratory. Levels ofplasma total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides were measured asreported previously (Vega). Briefly, plasma lipids were measuredenzymatically using the Boehringer Mannheim cholesterol enzymatic kit(Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, Ind.) and the Sigma-Aldrich kit fortriglycerides (St. Louis, Mo.). HDL cholesterol was measured afterprecipitation of non-HDL cholesterol with dextran sulfate(Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo.) (Warnick). The coefficients of inter-and intra-assay variation were 53%. The remaining 191 families,consisting mostly of United States participants, had lipoproteinmeasurements abstracted from the medical records. Adjustment fortreatment with medications for dyslipidemia was done when creating thepolygenic model used for quantitative trait loci analyses. 27 familieswere excluded for missing values. Reported results include all 393families for the lipid parameters of TC, LDL, HDL cholesterol, andHDL/TC ratio, which have been shown to be an independent risk factor forCAD (Jeppesen). Reported results for triglycerides are restricted to the229 families with measured lipid parameters, since serum triglyceridelevels are highly affected by the non-fasting state. There were fewerthan 10 families who would potentially meet broad diagnostic criteriafor FCH; the family-specific lod scores did not identify specific FCHloci nor did these families appear to contribute an excess amount to theoverall CAD genome scan, and therefore these families were included inall further analyses.

Analytic Methods.

Descriptive analyses for lipid values and for all covariates wereperformed using SAS software (SAS, Cary N.C.).

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL).

To identify genetic loci associated with lipid phenotypes, QTL linkageanalysis was performed using a genome wide scan of 395 microsatellitemarkers. All lipoprotein subgroups had an approximately normaldistribution, except serum triglycerides, which were log-transformed toapproximate a normal distribution. QTL analysis was performed using thevariance components approach as implemented in the Sequential OligogenicLinkage Analysis Routines (SOLAR) software package, which uses maximumlikelihood methods to estimate the genetic variance components (Almasy).The SOLAR package utilizes multipoint identical-by-descent (IBD) methodswhere the proportion of alleles shared IBD at genotyped loci are used toestimate IBD sharing at arbitrary points along a chromosome for eachrelative pair (Almasy, 1998). IBD and multipoint IBD matrices wereconstructed using the observed family pedigrees. An initial polygenicmodel was constructed adjusting for sex, age at exam, and treatment withdyslipidemia medications for each quantitative trait and used as thefoundation for two-point and multipoint linkage analyses. Use ofdyslipidemia medications was a binary, self-reported variable codedyes/no. A lod adjustment was calculated (lodadj=0.61) and used foranalysis of TC because of a high residual kurtosis of 1.6. Although theGENECARD probands were not ascertained on lipid values, the relationshipbetween CAD and lipid values does not reflect normal population values,implying an ascertainment bias. As a result, analyses were done with andwithout adjustment for proband lipid values and the results did notdiffer appreciably. Therefore, only results with proband ascertainmentare presented. Empirical p-values were calculated using models with10000 simulations in each of which a fully-informative marker, unlinkedto the trait, is simulated and trait linkage is then tested at thatmarker (SOLAR). QTL mapping results that achieved a multipoint lod scoreof greater than 1.2 (corresponding to an empirical p-value of 0.007-0.03depending on the covariate analyzed) were flagged for further study.

Ordered Subset Analysis (OSA).

OSA examines evidence for linkage in a more homogeneous subset offamilies defined by a trait-related covariate. The average lipid valuesin the affected individuals from each family were chosen astrait-related covariates. In addition to the family-specific covariatevalues, a matrix of linkage statistics Zi(d,γ) is required as input,where d represents the disease location parameter and γ represents thegenetic model, and the maximum ordered subset statistic for each familyis calculated at a set of values for d and γ. OSA begins by ordering Nnumber of families by the covariate value xi, both in an ascending and adescending order, where Z_((j))(d,γ) is the linkage statistic matrix forordered family j. The maximum lod score is calculated for the j^(th)family, as well as the estimates of d_((j)) and γ_((j)) at which themaximum occurs. Then, element-wise addition is used to add the matrixfor the next ordered family Z_((j+1))(d,γ) to the matrix for family 1through j. In summary, the j^(th) partial sum is created by adding eachelement of the linkage statistic matrix for each family up to andincluding ordered family j. The maximum subset lod score (the highestlod score using subsets of families with the highest or lowest meancovariate) represents the linkage evidence in a subset of familiesdefined by that covariate. OSA also provides an estimate of the diseaselocation on the specified chromosome. A permutation procedure, randomlyordering families and recalculating the OSA test statistic, provides anempirical p-value to assess the significance of the increase in themaximum lod score using the ordered subset of families compared to theoverall lod score using all families. Significance was defined as ap-value<0.05 for an increase in the maximum subset lod when compared tothe overall lod score. To further characterize subsets of families withsignificant results, the family-specific means of each covariatecomparing families comprising the maximum subset lod score and theremainder of the GENECARD families. Mean family values for quantitativetraits were compared using a univariate t-test (SAS).

Table 5 outlines baseline characteristics in the 420 GENECARD families,overall and by affection status, comprising a total of 1129 individuals,952 affected with early onset CAD and 177 unaffected family members.Consistent with other studies, there was a high prevalence ofcardiovascular risk factors among affected individuals, includinghypertension (55.2%), diabetes (21.0%), tobacco use (32.9% currentlysmoking), dyslipidemia (82.3%) and metabolic syndrome (46.8%). Asexpected, these risk factors were more prevalent in affected individualsthan in unaffected individuals. However, the mean values of totalcholesterol, LDL and systolic blood pressure were higher in theunaffected group, consistent with the 14-year increase in the mean ageof the unaffected family members and increased use of medications fordyslipidemia in the affected group. Heritability estimates revealedstrong heritability of all lipid subgroups (Table 6), consistent withprevious reports.

QTL Results.

The overall results of the QTL analysis are shown in Table 6. Thelargest lod score for a QTL was for HDL cholesterol on chromosome 3p(FIG. 4), with weaker evidence on chromosomes 7 and 15. QTLs for TC werefound on chromosome 18p and 5p, and for LDL cholesterol on chromosomes 6and 16. There was evidence for QTL for triglycerides on chromosome 13,14, and 18, and there was evidence for loci for HDL/TC ratio onchromosome 3q, 7q and 8q. Three regions showing evidence for linkage inthe overall genome scan (3q, 7p and 19p) also showed evidence for lipidQTLs (HDL/TC ratio, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, respectively).

OSA Results.

Significant OSA results are shown in Table 7. FIG. 5 shows chromosome 3lod score curves using OSA that corroborate, strengthen and narrow thelinkage peaks previously observed on chromosome 3q. The increase in thelod score is intriguing because it occurs on top of already stronglinkage evidence in this region. The 167 families in the OSA subsetrepresent 39.7% of the GENECARD families. These families appear to havea different phenotypic profile with significantly fewer CAD risk factorsthan the remainder of the families (Table 8). FIG. 5 also shows a lodscore curve using OSA showing a strong linkage peak on chromosome 5q,but more distal to the linkage peak observed on the overall genome scan.This set of 54 (12.8%) families represents a high-risk lipid phenotypewith elevated TC, high LDL and triglycerides and having a significantlylower average age of onset. However, these families cannot bedistinguished on the basis of other CAD risk factors such as BMI,gender, or smoking. The chromosome 5 subset of families is a distinctset of CAD families from the chromosome 3 subset, with the two subsetsof families representing the two tails of the lipid distributions amongthese CAD families. OSA also revealed significant LOD scores in subsetsof families on chromosomal regions not previously found to besignificant in this sample, including peaks on 9p, 10q, 12q, 14p, 17q,and 22p. The subsets identified in these regions are smaller, rangingfrom 22 to 80 families (5.2% to 19.0%).

These results reveal evidence for several QTL for lipid subgroups infamilies with early onset CAD. OSA results corroborated and strengthenedareas of strong linkage in the overall population on chromosome 3q and5q, helped narrow the linkage peaks, identified new regions for furtheranalysis, and defined phenotypic subsets comprising the peaks.

Specifically, QTL mapping of lipid phenotypes in the GENECARD populationrevealed multiple chromosomal areas with significant lod scores forlipid subtypes, with the strongest lod score for HDL cholesterol onchromosome 3p (lod 2.43). Evidence was also found for linkage for HDLcholesterol to chromosome 7q (156 cM), a region also found to link toHDL/TC ratio (143 cM). This area has previously been linked to TG andTG/HDL ratio (Shearman 2000), and is proximal to another reported peakfor TG (186 cM) (Duggirala). This locus contains several candidategenes, including ABC28 (ATP-binding cassette subfamily F, member 2,similar to ABC1 which causes Tangier's disease, characterized by HDLdeficiency and premature atherosclerosis). A QTL for LDL cholesterol wasidentified on chromosome 6q, which contains the gene for apolipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), a well recognized cardiovascular risk factor (Murai), andhas previously been linked to small LDL particles in the San AntonioFamily Heart Study (Imperatore). There was evidence for linkage totriglycerides on chromosome 18 (near QTL for total cholesterol at 55cM); though not as strongly linked, this region is interesting becauseit contains the gene for Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1), anautosomal recessive lipid storage disorder. These results did notcorroborate previous results on chromosomes 4 (TG, LDL) (Arnett 2001),15 (HDL, TG) (Almasy, Duggirala, Arnett), and 2 (TG HDL) (Pajukanata,Imperatore, Almasy).

To understand the impact of heterogeneity, it is useful to compare theseresults to the OSA analysis. At least two phenotypically distinct setsof families with early-onset CAD were identified that contributed tolinkage evidence. On chromosome 3q, evidence was found for linkage toearly onset CAD in families with lower TC and triglycerides, higher HDLcholesterol and overall lesser prevalence of metabolic syndrome, whencompared to families not included in the OSA peak. These results werecorroborated by the finding of a QTL for HDL/TC ratio in the sameregion. Therefore, it appears that the previously reported stronglinkage peak on chromosome 3q is comprised of families without apreponderance of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. A recentmeta-analysis of four genome-wide scans for CAD revealed strongestevidence for linkage on chromosome 3q26-27 (Chiodini), and this regionhas shown linkage to metabolic syndrome (Kissebah 2000) and type IIdiabetes mellitus (Vionett 2000, Mori 2002, Hegele 1999). However, ineach of these genome scans the evidence for linkage to CAD is over 60 cMdistal to the peak in the GENECARD analyses. In QTL analysis of plasmalipids, there is evidence of linkage with triglyceride-high densitylipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio in the peak 3q13 region (Shearman etal. 2000). There is also evidence for linkage to HDL cholesterol itself(Imperatore et al. 2000; Coon et al. 2001) and fractionated low-densitylipoprotein (LDL) particles (Rainwater et al. 1999) in this region. Agenome scan of lipid traits in Pima Indians found a locus on chromosome3, but more distal to this peak (182 cM) (Imperatore 2000). The3q26-qter region harbors several candidate genes involved in glucosehomeostasis and lipid metabolism. The 3q13 region, however, is an areaof relative paucity of genes. This area may harbor a previouslyundiscovered gene, represent a genetic area exerting a downstreaminfluence, or may be in linkage disequilibrium with more distalcandidate genes.

A linkage peak for early onset CAD was again observed on chromosome 5qusing OSA, but more distal on the chromosome than seen in the overallgenome scan, and is comprised of a subset of families who are youngerwith higher total cholesterol values. This area contains many genes,including HNRPAB (apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme) and F12 (factorXII deficiency), though none have been previously implicated in thepathogenesis of dyslipidemia or CAD.

OSA and QTL mapping are alternate methods for incorporating phenotypicdata in linkage studies. Overall it was found that OSA and QTL resultsdid not overlap, except on chromosome 3q. This is most likely related tothe fact that QTL and OSA analyses model different aspects of lipidphenotypes and address different issues. The lod score for the OSAanalysis is still linkage to CAD and the phenotype data are used as ameasure of similarity to help identify homogeneous subsets. QTL mappingmodels the quantitative traits of lipid phenotypes specifically, inattempts to identify chromosomal regions that may harbor genes fornormal variation in lipid phenotypes. OSA was used to identify andnarrow chromosomal regions harboring candidate genes for the phenotypeof early onset CAD, using lipid subtypes to create more etiologichomogeneity and potentially concentrate the genetic effect.

The study population consists of those who remain alive despite earlyonset CAD, a so-called “survivor effect.” Therefore, inferences drawnabout genetic effects will be confined to familial early onset CAD, andmay not be applicable to premature sudden cardiac death. Because theGENECARD families were ascertained on the basis of early onset CAD,their lipid values may not represent the normal distribution of lipidvalues. The phenotypic differences in the GENECARD sample compared tosamples of unselected families, or families ascertained on the basis ofhypertension or metabolic syndrome, may explain why QTL analysis did notidentify the regions identified in other studies. Although genome-widelinkage studies may be superior in determining significant genetic loci,affected sibling pair studies only provide a general view of the truegene location. The permutation test employed by OSA analyses controlsfor the inflation in the false positive rate induced by examiningmultiple family subsets for a given covariate, and appears to give theproper type I error rate in previously done simulations (Hauser).However, these analyses do not control for OSA over multipletrait-related covariates, but the strong correlation between the lipidparameters makes it difficult to appropriately correct for multiplecomparisons.

Regardless, the GENECARD cohort is an ideal population for geneticstudies. Setting an age criteria for CAD selects for patients with astrong genetic predisposition and enriches the sample for CAD caused bygenetic etiologies. It is also an ideal population for primaryprevention, an eventual goal of the utilization of genetics in clinicalcardiology. Furthermore, GENECARD represents a model database forevaluation of genotype-phenotype interactions in the pathogenesis ofCAD, by virtue of its sibling pair approach; international populationallowing for ethnic heterogeneity; relatively large sample size; andgenome-wide methodology. The combined approach of using QTL and OSAanalysis for incorporation of disease-related lipid phenotypes in agenome scan of CAD is unique. Such modeling of genotype-phenotypeinteractions in a multi-analytic approach will enhance discovery ofgenetic loci and aid in the eventual goal in creation of a comprehensivecardiovascular risk assessment model.

These results show strong evidence of linkage to chromosomal region 3q13in families with early onset CAD but with more favorable lipid profiles,possibly due to a concentrated non-lipid-related genetic effect on CAD,and to chromosome 5q in families with early onset CAD but with highertotal and LDL cholesterol values, possibly representing a hereditarylipid phenotype predisposing to early onset CAD. QTL mapping identifiedmultiple loci for lipid phenotypes and overall corroborated results fromthe initial genome scan. These results suggest presence of etiologicheterogeneity in families with early onset CAD, potentially due todifferential lipid phenotypes.

Example 3

Sequences of exemplary polymorphisms within the region of humanchromosome 3q13.31 are depicted in Table 10. Of particular note are: thesingle nucleotide polymorphism as set forth by an adenine deletion inSEQ ID NO:15; the polymorphism as set forth by a 27 basepair duplicationin SEQ ID NO:28; and the polymorphism as set forth by a CAA insertion inSEQ ID NO:29. FIG. 6 depicts the genotypes of normal versus affectedindividuals with respect to these three variations.

FIG. 7 depicts differences in allele frequency between affected versuscontrol (normal) cases with exemplary SNPs within the region of humanchromosome 3q13.31.

FIG. 8 depicts the frequency of genetic markers within the region ofhuman chromosome 3q13.31 correlated with affected and control (normalcases) and the significance of the correlation of the G allele ofrs1875518 and the 253 allele of 3M0238 with CAD.

Example 4

Association analysis of additional SNPs with risk for CAD is depicted inFIG. 9. Of particular note are the SNPs rs2272486 and hcv1602689 inHuntington-associated protein-interacting protein (HAPIP) and myosinlight chain kinase (MLCK), respectively. The locations of these SNPs onhuman chromosome 3 are listed in Table 11. Particularly, the C allelefor hcv1602689 (SNP is C/G) and/or the A allele for rs2272486 (SNP isA/G) is associated with increased risk for CAD.

Additional SNPs associated with risk for CAD are the A alleles forrs1676232 and rs4404477 found in the gene for the limbicsystem-associated membrane protein (LSAMP; both SNPs are NG).Furthermore, rs4404477 appears to have an interaction with rs1676232 sothat when both SNPs are homozygous for the A allele, the risk for CAD issignificantly increased over that which is observed for a single SNPthat is homozygous for the A allele.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention, and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. The invention is defined by the followingclaims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

All publications, patent applications, patents, patent publications,sequences identified by Genbank and/or SNP accession numbers, NCBI Build35 of human chromosome 3 and other references cited herein areincorporated by reference in their entireties for the teachings relevantto the sentence and/or paragraph in which the reference is presented.

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TABLE 1 GENECARD Study Families ascertained 438 Sampled individuals1174  Number of affected individuals 976 Total affected sib pairs 491Number of microsatellite markers 395 Distance between markers ~10 cM

TABLE 2 Haplotypes for maximum hap scores (from Table 3) ComparisonEffect 3M0238 RS1875518 RS2937666 YA vs ON Protective NON 253 A A RISKNON 253 A T OA vs ON Protective NON 253 A A RISK 253 G A All Affected vsProtective Control NON 253 A A RISK 1 NON 253 A T RISK 2 253 G A

TABLE 3 Haplotype table showing protective and risk effects for all agegroups. Negative hap score is protective, positive hapscore is riskCAUCASIANS hap# Hap. Score p. val sim. p. val Hap. Freq CONTROL CASE3M0238 RS1875518 RS2937666 CATHGEN Young Affecteds vs. CATHGEN OldNormals Protective −3.038 0.00238 0.0022 0.2296 0.30747 0.17375 NON 253A A 2 −0.55983 0.57559 0.5787 0.22209 0.22007 0.22444 NON 253 G A 3−0.2186 0.82696 0.8293 0.0595 0.05444 0.06302 253 G A 4 −0.07475 0.940420.9414 0.01434 0.01889 0.01105 253 A T 5 0.46021 0.64537 0.6533 0.028930.01689 0.03616 253 A A 6 0.55006 0.58228 0.582 0.06217 0.0628 0.06363253 G T 7 0.7818 0.43433 0.4331 0.16742 0.1594 0.17108 NON 253 G T RISK2.67549 0.00746 0.0066 0.21595 0.16004 0.25688 NON 253 A T CATHGEN OldAffecteds vs. CATHGEN Old Normals Protective −3.34905 0.00081 0.00110.25059 0.30747 0.18609 NON 253 A A 2 −0.35638 0.72155 0.733 0.011080.01689 0.00742 253 A A 3 −0.13402 0.89339 0.8899 0.16355 0.160040.16955 NON 253 A T 4 0.2043 0.83812 0.8432 0.01813 0.01889 0.01702 253A T 5 0.4506 0.65227 0.6599 0.21883 0.22007 0.22307 NON 253 G A 60.48243 0.6295 0.62 0.16897 0.1594 0.17521 NON 253 G T 7 1.59332 0.111090.1092 0.06765 0.0628 0.07454 253 G T RISK 2.55689 0.01056 0.0098 0.10120.05444 0.1471 253 G A CATHGEN Young Affecteds, Old Affecteds andGENECARD-DNC Affected probands vs. CATHGEN Old Normals Protective−3.87691 0.00011 0.0003 0.2123 0.30747 0.17659 NON 253 A A 2 0.140110.88858 0.8886 0.02028 0.01689 0.02209 253 A A 3 0.15602 0.87602 0.87590.22737 0.22007 0.232 NON 253 G A 4 0.18761 0.85118 0.8515 0.019020.01889 0.01876 253 A T 5 1.0031 0.31581 0.3225 0.06158 0.0628 0.06134253 G T1 6 1.09965 0.27149 0.2792 0.08415 0.05444 0.09424 253 G A 71.27078 0.20381 0.206 0.17844 0.1594 0.18358 NON 253 G T RISK 1.298490.19412 0.1927 0.19687 0.16004 0.2114 NON 253 A T

TABLE 4 Primer and probe information of genetic markers MarkerPCR Primers Probe* rs1875518 Forward: GGGCCTAGTGTGCTAATCTCTT A allele =FAM-AGGTATTACTtAATCTAGTTCA- (SEQ ID NO: 30) MGB (SEQ ID NO: 36)Reverse:TTATTTTACACTTAAGGGTGCTCA G allele = TET-AGGTATTACTcAATCTAGTTCA-(SEQ ID NO: 31) MGB (SEQ ID NO: 37) rs2937666Forward: CCAGTTTTTGTAGCTGCTGTTG A allele = TET-CCATCAACaATTGCATC-(SEQ ID NO: 32) MGB (SEQ ID NO: 38) Reverse: TTTATAGTCCATTTTGGCTTGCTTT allele = FAM-TCCATCAACtATTGCATC- (SEQ ID NO: 33) MGB (SEQ ID NO: 39)3M0238 Forward: CTTGCACCTGGGAGGTAGAG N/A (SEQ ID NO: 34)Reverse: CACAACTGTTGCTTTTCCAT N/A (SEQ ID NO: 35) *The polymorphic siteis in lower letter bold case.

TABLE 5 Baseline characteristics of GENECARD individuals (420 families).Affected Unaffected All Variable (N = 952) (N = 177) (N = 1129) Mean age(SD) 51.4 (7.1) 65.3 (11.3) 53.6 (9.4) Mean age of onset 43.7 (5.8) — —(SD) Sex (%) Male 71.4% 36.0% 65.8% Female 28.6% 64.0% 34.2%Dyslipidemia 82.3% 57.1% 78.4% Meds for dyslipidemia 84.7% 60.6% 81.9%Lipids (mean, SD) TC 205.7 (57.3) 220.6 (50.3) 206.9 (56.9) TG 222.1(167.1) 213.8 (142.9) 221.5 (165.2) HDL 39.1 (19.0) 48.1 (34.9) 39.9(20.9) LDL 117.7 (49.5) 124.7 (40.0) 118.3 (48.8) Hypertension 55.2%49.1% 54.2% Blood pressure (mean, SD) Systolic 141.1 (22.7) 151.8 (26.3)146.1 (24.7) Diastolic 81.2 (12.2) 81.4 (9.8) 81.3 (11.0) Diabetesmellitus 21.0% 15.4% 20.1% (DM) Waist circumference 99.0 (14.2) 96.4(16.4) 98.6 (14.6) (SD) Obesity BMI < 25 19.6% 35.0% 22.1% BMI 25-2938.3% 37.3% 38.2% BMI ≧ 30 42.0% 27.7% 39.8% Metabolic 46.8% 30.3% 44.2%syndrome*** Pack-years smoked 34.8 (23.4) 42.7 (36.7) 35.7 (25.3)Currently smoking 32.9% 28.3% 32.4% Post-menopausal 55.8% 82.1% 63.4%History of MI 62.9% — 59.8% Multiple vessel CAD 66.0% — 66.0% TC = totalcholesterol, TG = triglycerides, HDL = high density lipoprotein, MI =myocardial infarction. ***Presence of 3 out of 5 of the following:history of DM; HTN or BP >130/85; HDL <40 in men and <50 in women; waistcircumference >88 in women, >102 in men; TG ≧ 150.

TABLE 6 Quantitative trait loci mapping results, lipid phenotypes.Multi- Empiri- Quantitative Locus point cal p- Trait Heritability (SD)Chrom (cM)* LOD value** Total 71.1% (8.9%)*** 5 98 1.28 0.03 cholesterol6 10 1.28 0.03 (TC) 13 15 1.19 0.03 18 55 1.32 0.02 Low density 67.3%(9.7%)*** 6 164 1.65 <0.01 lipoprotein 16 0 1.41 (LDL) 19 52 1.25cholesterol 21 16 1.39 High density  67.7% (11.9%)*** 3 87 2.43 0.002lipoprotein 7 156 1.73 <0.01 (HDL) 15 103 1.79 0.004 cholesterolTriglycerides  63.7% (12.5%)*** 4 119 1.30 7 80 1.35 13 18 1.55 <0.01 1476 1.22 18 94 2.09 0.002 HDL/TC 64.6% (9.8%)*** 3 153 1.44 <0.01 ratio 7143 1.44 <0.01 8 148 1.68 *Kosambi map locus; cM: centimorgans; **using10000 simulated repetitions; ***p-value < 0.00001

TABLE 7 Ordered subset analysis (OSA) results. Mean covariate value Meancovariate value Max Overall No. fams Chromosome Pos cM Covariate (SD) insubset (SD) in others* OSA LOD LOD p-value in subset 3 146.9 Low TG161.1 (49.3) 372.7 (137.9) 4.14 2.64 0.04 167 5 171.7 High TC 302.4(78.9) 192.8 (30.1) 4.42 0.36 0.001 54 9 23.5 Low TG 99.3 (21.8) 248.9(121.0) 2.51 0.12 0.03 49 10 127.7 Low HDL 24.8 (4.5) 39.8 (8.2) 2.490.00 0.007 44 12 61.0 High HDL 50.6 (8.2) 34.3 (5.6) 2.43 0.35 0.03 8014 0.0 High LDL 225.5 (36.1) 113.0 (32.0) 2.63 0.66 0.03 22 17 120.6High TG 340.9 (133.8) 152.1 (44.0) 2.10 0.19 0.04 77 22 0.0 High LDL225.5 (36.1) 113.0 (32.0) 2.52 0.001 0.02 22 *mean value of OSAcovariate in families not included in the subset;

TABLE 8 Phenotypic characteristics of families in OSA subsets. No. LipidChromo- families in Phenotypic characteristics phenotypes some subset ofsubset* of subset* 3 167 Older at time of exam, older Lower TC age ofonset Lower LDL Less metabolic syndrome, Higher HDL diabetes Lower BMILower waist circumference and weight 5 54 Younger age of onset HigherLDL Higher TG 9 49 Less diabetes Lower TC Lower weight, waist Higher HDLcircumference, BMI Less metabolic syndrome Fewer pack-years smoked 10 44More metabolic syndrome Higher TG More pack-years smoked More diabetesMore male Higher height, weight, waist circumference 12 80 Lower waist,weight, BMI Higher TC Older at time of exam, Lower TG older age of onsetLess metabolic syndrome More female 14 22 Younger at time of exam,Higher TC younger age of onset 17 77 More metabolic syndrome Lower LDLLower HDL 22 22 Younger at time of exam, Higher TC younger age of onset*when compared to family means of affected individuals in families notwithin the OSA subset; all comparisons statistically significant at p <0.05. BMI: body-mass index

TABLE 9 Genetic Markers in Chromosome 3* SNP/Poly- Basepair loca-Basepair location Chr morphism id tion on Ch 3 on SEQ ID NO: 1 3rs2927275 118666759 166759 3 rs1698042 118667838 167838 3 rs1501881118672530 172530 3 rs1698041 118682441 182441 3 3M0238 118690772 to118690975 190772 to 190975 3 rs2055426 118703034 203034 3 rs2937675118706580 206580 3 27 bp Insertion 118711341 to 118711342 211341 to211342 3 rs1875518 118712470 212470 3 rs2937673 118715077 215077 3rs1676232 118717529 217529 3 3I0320 118719088 219088 3 3I0311 118719132to 118719133 219132 to 219133 3 rs1381801 118723585 223585 3 rs2937666118729388 229388 3 rs1910044 118733409 233409 3 rs6778437 118726628226628 3 rs6795971 118751683 251683 3 rs1466416 118753496 253496 3rs6795971 118751683 251683 3 rs2937673 118715077 215077 3 rs1698041118682441 182441 3 rs4356827 118661434 161434 3 rs6790819 118659480159480 3 rs7427839 118648013 148013 3 rs725154 117992940 3 rs1875516118805109 3 rs1501882 118774319 274319 3 rs1401951 119708716 3 rs1968010119551910 3 rs1486336 119386693 3 rs843855 119239225 3 rs1456186119110095 3 rs553070 119637627 3 rs1499989 119483894 3 rs39688 1202255383 rs812824 120037336 3 rs705233 119952613 3 rs483349 120827383 3rs2282171 120665288 3 rs834855  82731159 3 rs4404477 118857458 *SNPbasepair location on Ch 3 is based on the NCBI build 35 sequence ofhuman chromosome 3.

TABLE 10 Additional Nucleotide Polymorphisms* Polymor- Polymor- phismphism SEQ basepair basepair ID Flanking Sequence position position onNO: (polymorphism in brackets) on Ch 3** SEQ ID NO: 1  2TGCGCGTGT[G/T]TGGTGTGTG 118664719 164719  3  AAATAAATTAAC[G/A]TTTATCATCA118670801 170801  4 ATTTCTC[G/A]TTAAAATTT 118673682 173682  5 ATTTCATATCT[-/A]GGAAAAAAC 118673698 to 173698 to 118673699 173699  6CCACCTAG[T/C]TTTTTTAATGAACA 118699111 199111  7ATCTTGATT[C/A]TATTTATGACTGC 118699690 199690  8GCTTAGTTGG[T/A]TAGACCAGCT 118708380 208380    9CCTCACTCT[A/C]TTCTCCTCCTT 118708990 208990 10 GGTGCAG[T/A]GGCATGAGCC118713130 213130 11 AACCCTCCTCAATTGT[A/G]GAAACATGGAACA 118717982 21798212 GGAACAGCAACATTCTTA[A/G]ATGCTCATGTACC 118718008 218008 13ATTCTTAAATGCTCATGTA[C/A]CTTTATTAAAGTAT 118718020 218020 14ATGTGCATTTCTACA[T/A]TCATTCAAATAGTCTTTG 118718327 218327 15AATGATAAAAT[A/-]TTTTTTAAAG(3I0320) 118719088 219088 16TCCCACCG[T/G]ACCCAGCCCT 118720122 220122 17 TTATATCAA[T/G]GCCTCCAAC118720142 220142 18 ACTTGCAGAA[A/G]TTTTATATC 118720154 220154 19GGTTGACTAG[T/A]CCATGCCTT 118720228 220228 20*** AACAGAACTKA[A/G]CACTCT118720249 220249 21 GTCCAAAACA[T/C]ATGCTAAAGA 118722980 222980 22TTATTTAC[A/G]TGAAGTTGT 118722998 222998 23 ACATCTT[A/G]TGAAATT 118723379223379 24 TTGTTGGGGG[G/A]ACTATAGTAATC 118727468 227468 25GACCCTCCAACAAA[T/G]GCCATTT 118728575 228575 26 AGTTTGGA[G/A]TTTCCTCA118730282 230282 27 TCAGAGAAATG[C/A]AAATCAA 118730459 230459 28CTGGAGGAGATAATCATTAAGTGGGAATTTGAATA 118711341 to 211341 toTTATAACAGATCCT[---------------------------/ 118711342 211342GGGAATTTGAATATTATAACAGATCCT]GTAATCACCTGACCACTGCACAGA (27 bp duplication) 29ATAAGCAAGTATAAAAA[---/CAA]TTTCCAGTAGATG 118719132 to 219132 to (3I0311)118719133 219133 *The polymorphism is indicated in bold text. The firstnucleotide/sequence listed of the polymorphism is thenucleotide/sequence present in the NCBI build 35 sequence of humanchromosome 3, the second nucleotide/sequence listed is the variant.**SNP basepair position on Ch 3 is based on the NCBI build 35 sequenceof human chromosome 3. ***K in SEQ ID NO: 20 represents a G/Tpolymorphism.

TABLE 11 SNPs in HAPIP and MLCK* SNP basepair Ch SNP id Gene location 3rs2272486 HAPIP 125470729 3 HCV1602689 MLCK 125024094 *SNP basepairlocation is based on the NCBI build 35 sequence of human chromosome 3.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A method of identifying a human subject having anincreased risk of developing coronary artery disease, comprisingdetecting in a nucleic acid sample of the subject an A allele at singlenucleotide polymorphism rs1676232, wherein detection of said alleleidentifies the subject as having an increased risk of developingcoronary artery disease.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein detectingis carried out by a hybridization reaction.
 23. The method of claim 22,wherein the hybridization reaction is carried out with hybridizationprobes in a microarray.
 24. The method of claim 21, wherein detecting iscarried out by electrophoresis.
 25. The method of claim 21, whereindetecting is carried out by restriction endonuclease digestion analysis.26. The method of claim 21, wherein detecting is carried out by anamplification reaction.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein theamplification reaction is a polymerase chain reaction.